Behind The Walls
by prettylittlekt
Summary: Donna and Harvey’s relationship comes to a head, but is anything ever simple in the world of ZSL?
1. Revelations

**A/N : hi! It's my first ever multi chapter fic! Big shoutout to Laura (@frenchdarvey ) for all of her support and for the title of this fic! Please review, if it helps it's my birthday today soooooo**

"Harvey... we should stop, everyone's leaving." She sighed, her actions contradicting her words as she makes no effort to move out of his arms.

"Yeah." He breathes, but when he feels her pull back slightly he tightens his grip and finishes, "But not yet." She smiles into his shoulder at that, and they keep swaying to the faint music, goodbyes now seeming insignificant compared to their slow dancing.

"It's getting late." She hints at ending their movements resentfully.

"One last song?"

"I promised Father Walker that I'd tidy the hall and lock up, and I do want to get home at _some_ point tonight."

"One more and then I'll help you." He bargains, falling back into his comfort zone of lawyering.

"You're going to help me either way." She quirked a brow, amused.

"But now I've stalled you long enough that the next one's started." A Cheshire Cat smile lit up his face and she rolled her eyes playfully.

"I could still go..."

"You could, but you won't." He slipped back into his old, cocky self effortlessly.

"And why's that?" She played her role from long ago, reminding him of of early starts and late nights at the DA's office.

"You're into me." The only differences from 13 years ago the setting and his almost-cautious tone. She froze for half a second, swallowing back the words in her throat.

She decided to say, "The song's almost over, and I do actually have to sort out the church. I'd leave it, but I don't want the honeymooners to have to deal with Father Walker when they come back." She smiled easily.

"Yeah." He hesitated almost imperceptibly and if she was _anyone_ she wouldn't have picked up on it, but she wasn't, and she did.

"What?"

"Nothing." He answered too quickly.

She pulled back slightly to study him, saying, "No, what aren't you telling me?" He looked away, conflicted, and she turned his face back to hers gently.

"Harvey." She spoke softly, encouraging him.

"Mike and Rachel... They're not coming back."

She stopped moving, hands dropping from his face as she breathed, "Excuse me?"

"The Seattle job. They took it. They're going straight there."

She stepped back, a flash of hurt in her eyes before she swallowed and spoke, "And you kept it from me?"

"Donna..." He reached out, but let his hand drop when she held up a single finger.

"After everything we've been through? I can't **believe** you sometimes!"

"I've only known for two hours!" He attempted to defend himself.

"You know what? It doesn't even matter, because they're going to be gone whether I fight with you or not." She moved to pack away the chairs, turning away from him.

He stood for a minute, before pressing a button on the speakers and letting a familiar tune flood the room. She spun around, face closed off.

"Donna, I don't want to fight. Not tonight. Not with you." She lets out a dry laugh at his little speech, turning back away angrily.

"What did I do?" He approached her and tugged her elbow gently.

"You did what you always do! You do something nice for me, like play my favourite song," She gestured viciously towards the speakers, "And then you say something without actually _saying_ anything and you expect it to be enough, but it's not. I want more, okay? I need mo-"

In one smooth movement he silenced her lips with his, and all he could think of was every time his hand grazed hers and he couldn't reach out, and every low cut dress he didn't rip off, until - "Harvey." She uttered, breathless, "We can't."

 **A/N : I know, I know, I'm awful!! Sorry about the cliffhanger, I promise it's not as bad as it seems! I'll update as soon as I can, but let me know what you think or what you want to see and I'll try and write it in!! Hope you enjoyed - Katie**


	2. Rules Of Play

**A/N : hi again! I just wanted to say a HUGE thank you to every single person that read, favourited, followed, reviewed or tweeted me. I can't figure out how to reply to reviews, so I'll just have to say thank you here but please know that each review makes me so happy and makes me work that much harder to make this as good as possible. Sorry it took so long for chapter 2 to be ready! Anyway, on with the story!**

"We're in a _church_!"

"I don't remember suitable locations being a problem last time..." He smirked.

"That was 13 years ago." She uttered, a small smile gracing her features.

"Too soon?" He quipped playfully.

"You're an idiot." She slipped out of his grasp with a gentle laugh, walking away.

He caught her wrist immediately, frowning, "Where are you going?"

"To get our things and call Ray, unless you want to stay here alone?" Her step didn't falter, and she swayed her hips as she moved across the ballroom, not needing to turn around to know that he was following her like she was his first crush.

They entered the town car like giggling teenagers, and though they were blaming their behaviour on the alcohol, they both knew that the effect of the other was more intoxicating than the spirits that they had consumed.

"Miss Paulsen." Ray greeted, a knowing smile on his face.

"Ray." She nodded, laughing softly as Harvey's hand found hers and he pulled her closer.

"Where to, Mr Specter?"

Harvey glanced over at the redhead and, seeing her dark eyes, rattled off her address on an instinct he hadn't given himself the chance to pursue in twelve and a half years.

The short ride to her apartment was filled with heated glances (and warning ones from Donna when his hand lingered a little too high on her thigh for a little too long), teasing touches and more anticipation than either one knew what to do with. Ray pulled over soon enough, turning off the engine and settling down to wait for his boss when Harvey's voice spoke, "Take the rest of the night, Ray. I'll see you Monday."

Ray thanked the pair and said goodnight, and Donna only commented on his statement when the dark car was almost out of sight.

"That was a bit presumptuous, don't you think?" She smirked, glancing back at him over her shoulder as she walked towards her apartment building.

"I think I presumed just right." He replied, sliding an arm around her waist, "Besides, I never said that I wasn't going home tonight, just that Ray wasn't taking me."

"It may not be what you said, but we both know that it's what you meant, Mr Specter." She raised an eyebrow as they ascended the stairs to apartment 206.

"I plead the fifth." He winked, leaning against her doorframe as he waited for her to unlock the door.

"Okay, I may not be a lawyer, but even I know that 'pleading the fifth' does _not_ work in this scenario." She turned to him, stepping closer as she awaited his response.

"Donna?" He said frustratedly, "Just open the goddamn door."

"And why would I do that? I'm not one for one night stands." She spoke teasingly, yet she was more desperate for reassurance than she let herself admit.

"I thought we'd been married for the last thirteen years?"

She tilted her head, waiting for a real answer.

"I'm in this, okay?" He moved closer, expectation filling every feature as he uttered, "Now what are we waiting for?"

She ran her hands over his lapels as she bit back a smile, "For you to figure out that it's time to come inside."

Donna let out a surprised laugh as he picked her up, wrapping her legs around him as he muttered, "You, Donna Paulsen, will be the death of me." And kicked the door shut.

Donna woke late, lips curving upwards as she thought of the night before, though the smile quickly fell from her features as she looked across to see an empty bed. Her mind immediately led her to the idea that he had left, though she quickly shut down that voice, having faith that he wouldn't hurt her like that again. She swallowed back her nervousness, slipping on a robe and then venturing into the kitchen. Her eyes softened as she saw him leaning against her kitchen counter.

"Can you _really_ not figure out how to use my coffee machine?" She smiled teasingly, trying not to show that the sight of a barely awake Harvey Specter standing in her kitchen was leaving her damn near breathless.

"It's not my fault that you use a coffee maker from last century!"

She rolled her eyes, "If you paid me more, I could get a new one."

"You're getting paid a partner's salary."

"Your point?" She raises an eyebrow as she handed him the mug, but he only smiled and followed her into the living room, sitting opposite her on the couch.

"So." He started, hands playing with his cup.

"So." She replied, fighting every instinct to cave and let him get away with saying nothing.

"About last night." He spoke uncomfortably.

"Yes?"

"You're really not gonna help me out at all here, are you?"

"Nope." She popped the p, hiding her smile behind the rim of her coffee mug.

"We can't go back."

"No, we can't."

"I don't regret it." He tried.

"Me either." She didn't try to hide her smile this time.

She takes pity on him then, saying quietly, "What do you want to do now?"

He only raises his eyebrows, a Cheshire Cat smile on his face as his eyes imply a crude answer, trying to lighten the mood.

"In terms of what you want us to be, not... _that_."

He took a breath, glancing cautiously towards her before sighing, "I meant what I said last night. I'm in this, Donna, whatever this ends up being."

"Okay." She looked up at him, a smile lighting her face.

"Okay." Then, after a beat, "So what now?" He asked, shuffling closer to her as he saw her eyes brighten.

"Rules." She said boldly, simultaneously grabbing a notepad and pen from the desk and pushing Harvey back to his end of the sofa with her foot.

"Like, rules of play?" He pouted, slightly annoyed that she wouldn't let him have his way with her yet.

"No, Harvey, this isn't baseball or something. It's for how we need to act at work, since we're breaking the rule."

"Can't we just, I don't know, figure it out as we go along?"

"If we're keeping it a secret then we need ground rules."

"Keep it secret?" He questioned, taking hold of her wrist to still her writing.

She sighed, "If people know, it won't just change things for us. People will use us against each other at work, for one."

"They already do." He shot back.

"Harvey. It will change how other firms look at ours, not to mention the rumours about how I got my promotion."

"You deserve to be COO, Donna." He stated.

"We know that, but other people won't." She took his hand gently, "You know I'm right. And it's not forever."

"Okay." He said begrudgingly, pulling her to him, "Set some goddamn rules."


	3. Adjustments

**Hi! Sorry I've been gone so long, my workload at school has been crazy since I started back! And the Suits episodes have been uninspiring on the Darvey front, but that's what fics (and Sabriel videos) are here for I guess! Thank you to every single person that reviews and reads, I love you all, and big thanks to the Darvey group chats and Laura (my non-beta beta) because you make this story happen - Katie**

"Do you have to go?" He pouted, holding on to each end of her scarf.

"You know I have to." She smiled, unwrapping her arms from around his waist before she lost all of her restraint.

"Fine." He sighed, kissing her softly.

"You'll see me tomorrow!" She almost laughed at his disappointed face, but instead tapped his chest and continued, "Speaking of, we should go over the rules again."

"Seriously?" He raised an eyebrow.

"You have a habit of ignoring rules, _Harvey_ ," She emphasised his name and said, "I'm just making sure you don't ignore these."

"Don't you think we've had enough rules?"

"It's not the same and you know it, so stop deflecting and let me tell you."

He rolled his eyes, "Okay."

"We can't get into the office or leave at the same time. And we can't spend all of our time together there, which means you can't just come and visit me in my office for no reason. And _no touching_." She cocked her head, looking pointedly at his hands, which had landed on her hips at some point during her words.

Instead of untangling them, he pulled her closer, his head falling on her shoulder as he mumbled, "Remind me why I agreed to this?"

Her hands threaded through his hair as she joked, "So we can keep doing this without giving Louis another heart attack."

He chuckled and pressed a light kiss to the crook of her neck before they released their grip on each other, and she picked up her handbag before reminding him, "Don't forget you have the meeting with Robert and Louis at one tomorrow."

He nodded and smiled softly, watching her eyes narrow before she uttered, "What?"

"I just missed you telling me things, that's all. You never do it anymore."

"Hey, I tell you what to do most days. And you can't complain about me not telling you things, when you didn't tell me that our best friends left the state." She teased.

"I'm kind of surprised you didn't know before everyone else." He replied, watching her unlock the door with the key he gave back to her as soon as he found an excuse to.

She paused her actions, turning to say, "I knew something was going on, and I noticed all the changes, I guess I just didn't want to put the pieces together. I mean, they weren't exactly subtle about it, but I wanted them to stay. But I spoke to Rach, and she said that she just wanted to anchor herself there a bit more before she said her goodbyes, so that she couldn't change her mind."

"I miss them too." He caught her hand in his and squeezed, before letting her finish undoing the lock.

She smiled gently, hands resting on his chest as she sighed, "I should get going if I want to be home at a reasonable hour."

"You could stay."

"I have no clothes."

"That's not an issue." He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"It might be when I have to go to work." She laughed, wrapping her arms around him as she leaned in for a goodnight kiss, "Goodnight, Harvey."

He pulled her in one last time, locking his lips with hers before he let her leave, uttering, "See you tomorrow, Donna."

She smiled and shut the door behind her, ignoring the tug her heart gave as she walked away from him.

She woke up early the next day, her body now slightly unfamiliar with her cold and more uncomfortable bed. Sighing, she wrapped the too-big sweater around her petite frame, inhaling his scent before she got out of bed to get ready. She was ready for the day in less time than she had been the previous two days, the absence of the distraction that was Harvey contributing more than she thought. It was almost embarrassing how much she had already adjusted to Harvey's new role in her life, yet she couldn't help but smile at how easy it was to settle into a domestic routine with him, when a few years ago the only things that he could commit to were his career and his coffee order. She reached for her phone, turning on the metal object and instantly seeing a notification from Harvey flash on her screen. Just a good morning text, much less enjoyable than getting a good morning face to face, but it made her smile nonetheless, and she sent her reply quickly. She barely had time to lock her phone before it buzzed again with his immediate response, and she laughed as she typed, 'stop waiting by the phone and get ready for work! I know I said we couldn't go in at the same time, but that doesn't mean you can show up late, Specter'. She rolled her eyes when he didn't send a message back, knowing that he was making a point to her, stubborn as ever. This time, she managed to shut off her phone without interruption, and made her way out of her apartment and into a cab.

He couldn't focus. He'd been at work for less than three hours, and he'd been reading the same paragraph for almost half an hour. He had considered going to the office of the cause of his distraction, but knew that she'd refuse to interact with him on account of him 'breaking the rules'. Sighing, he let his mind drift to the previous few days, letting memories of long legs, scattered clothing and whipped cream fill his brain, until Louis entered and had just about the same effect as a cold shower.

"What is it now, Louis?"

"I've finished the documents for the merger we were working on yesterday, I'm going to take them to Donna and then it'll be finished." The smaller man said.

Harvey's head snapped up at the mention of the redhead's name, and he quickly stood and spoke, "Leave it with me, Louis. I'll look it over and give it to Donna when I'm finished."

"Thanks, Harvey." Louis nodded once, exiting the room and heading back to his own office.

His eyes scanned the documents, barely reading them as he walked towards the COO's office, smiling as he looked up and saw her at her desk.

"Hey." He spoke softly, moving to sit down on the chair opposite to her.

"Hey yourself." She replied, closing her file as she continued, "What do you need?"

"What I need goes against one of your rules." He smirked.

"Harvey." She tilted her head to the side, trying not to smile.

"What?" He widened his eyes, feigning innocence before continuing, "Besides, if we're being strict about the rules then we should add no teasing, because I'm pretty sure your choice of outfit isn't coincidental..." He added, taking his eyes over her figure-hugging green dress and thinking back to the previous weekend, when he showed her just how much he appreciated her wearing green.

"I have no idea what you're referring to, Mr Specter, and I deny all claims otherwise. Seriously, what are you doing here, because you promised you'd follow the rules."

"I am following them, I came to give you these. I just happened to have a conversation with you as well." He shot back, passing her the files.

"Of course you found a loophole." She rolled her eyes playfully, flicking through the documents.

"Why don't you come over after work? we can have dinner at my place." He offered.

"I don't know if it's romantic that you're cooking instead of taking me out, or if it's a way to get me in bed quicker." She mused, leaning forward in her chair.

He leaned forward too, catching her hand so she didn't pull back before muttering, "Who says it isn't both?" He winked, brushing his thumb over her hand subtly before exiting her office.

She let out a breath once he'd gone, leaning back and wondering how the _hell_ they were going to follow those rules.

 **So... I hope you enjoyed! Please review and let me know your thoughts and what you want to see in later chapters! Also, next chapter we'll see their date, and the plot will really start (make of that what you will ;) )**


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